Category: Archeology and the Bible
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Much is made of the breakthrough innovation of the Jewish Scriptures having one god and not many. But as we’ve previously covered in the lesson One God? where Canaanites and their hillbilly cousins the Israelites worshiped many gods, with the Israelites not winnowing it down to one until around 586 BC during the exile in…
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In our lesson, “Israelites: Ma & Pa Kettle of the Canaanites or Something Else?” we explored the origins of the Israelites in Canaan. Sharing the same genetic lineage as the Canaanites, they were deeply connected to the region. Yet, in Exodus, Yahweh promised Moses that Canaan would belong to the Israelites. It’s intriguing that Exodus,…
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This archaeological lesson highlights the Merneptah Stele, the earliest known artifact mentioning the Israelites. Merneptah, an ancient Egyptian pharaoh, ruled from 1213 to 1203 BCE. As was customary for pharaohs, he left behind a monumental stone inscription boasting of his many triumphs. Historians, however, approach these declarations with skepticism, recognizing them as propaganda meant to…